Companies introducing new parental benefits to retain employees

K Raheja Corp also announced 'Adoption Assistance policy' that includes paternity leave for adoptive and biological fathers.MUMBAI: More and more businesses are trying to project themselves as responsible organisations not only to attract customers but also to retain employees, and maternity and paternity benefits is one such step in this direction, according to experts.

"We understand and appreciate that a little extra support goes a long way in ensuring employees are well prepared for this new phase which can be both exhilarating and demanding at the same time. Consequently, the existing maternity policy was revamped and a New Parents Policy was introduced in April 2015", Mondelez India Foods Director-Human Resources, R Mahalakshmi told PTI here.

The 'New Parents Policy', she said, goes beyond mandatory maternity leave and has been refurbished taking into consideration the fact that male colleagues also need to shoulder responsibilities and chores.

Besides adequate time away from work at six months for new mothers, flexi-work timings, paternity leave for new fathers, the company's 'New Parent Policy' also covers alternative forms of parenthood (adoption, surrogacy), she said.

Similarly, K Raheja Corp also announced 'Adoption Assistance policy' that includes paternity leave for adoptive and biological fathers.

"We strive to be an employer of choice and offer the best organisational culture - one that is an excellent balance between home and work. It is important hence to ensure our policies are both career building as well as family-friendly.

"We have handpicked our policies from the best across industries to ensure it is in keeping with the times and the need of our employees", K Raheja's Senior Vice President - Human Resource, Urvi Aradhya said.

She said the 'Adoption Assistance Policy' introduced in September 2015, is a company-sponsored policy that financially assists employees and provides paid leave for the adoption of maximum two children.

Executive search company GlobalHunt Managing Director Sunil Goel opined that new age businesses are very competitive in nature and most of the global organisations want to project themselves as responsible businesses and efforts are not only to attract the external customers, but also to retain employees.